Democrats used to look like Joe Biden. I remember them. They were in my parents’ Sunday School class. The lived next door. I played astronaut with their kids in cardboard boxes that once contained washing machines.

The Democrats got to bat in the bottom of the ninth this election year and they took the opportunity to rebut the efforts of the Republicans from the week before. Here are photos from Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention, the night that marks the ​real​ beginning of the campaign for many voters.

When President Obama finishes his acceptance speech Thursday night, there will ensue 61 days of the most negative, spirit-sapping political discourse most of us have ever seen. But for a moment here in Charlotte, we get to forget about all of that and enjoy the work of a great artist.

According to a "senior official with the Obama campaign," the decision to abandon plans to conclude the Democratic convention Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium was made solely because of concern for the possibility of dangerous weather and not because the campaign fears an inability to fill all of the seats.

It was a big opening night at the Democratic National Convention. A Texan in the person of San Antonio mayor Julian Castro gave the keynote address and First Lady Michelle Obama provided the evening's finale with her much-anticipated speech on behalf of her husband.

The Tuesday night speakers at the Democratic convention talked about an array of social programs and benefits that they believe will strengthen the republic. Yet not once did the subject of the massive borrowing to fund such programs come up. Are Dems willfully ignoring the subject on the belief that it's bad politics. Or is truly not a concern to them?